Prologue
A tall white man was walking in circles. He was neither muscular nor too slim. The circles he made were unpredictable—sometimes big, sometimes small.
It seemed as if his mind was not at peace, and how could it be? The lifeless look in his blue eyes made it very clear that this man had lost something so valuable as if his soul had left his body.
What could be so precious to him?
His appearance—he had that face, the one where if he entered your high school as an English and Literature professor, no one would say a thing, as he fits the perfect description of it.
However, despite how he looked, the dirty floor was filled with dirt and feces, and the walls around him were covered with different writings: some strange signs, curses, and drawings. The walls could be described as a mess of different human emotions, but out of all of them, the despair, anger, and loneliness stood out the most.
But he was not alone. There were many other men around him—some were just sitting on the floor, some were chatting in groups—but their appearance was in clear contrast to the man walking in circles with lifeless eyes.
Tattoos filled their skin. Many didn't even bother to put a shirt on. Bodies filled with signs of cuts and bruises, telling a story of their own.
The solid iron bars didn't bother Victor even a bit, because being trapped here for 35 years, which was the sentence he got from the judge, didn't mean anything to him. Even death didn't scare him.
Because the meaning of his life was gone now. He was an average man living his mediocre life like a machine. What was his goal? To become a professor of English and Literature, as that was the thing he was good at and it would earn him a decent life.
But one day, on a fateful night, taking his usual walk after dinner, he lost his way in some alley. There he met her for the first time. She was feeding a stray cat while making strange noises. He couldn't help but laugh naturally.
The moon felt unnaturally beautiful that day. He didn't understand at first.
Anya was the name she told him, but not without a threat she had given him—not to share anything he had seen.
If someone had said something like soulmates exist, he would have scoffed at their childish thought, but after that day, she met him again, in his college. She was a psychology major.
A simple meeting that had started with her threatening him had led to them falling in love. But he was a man who would prefer not to show any emotion. Falling in love with someone—there wasn't a chance of that in the life he had imagined.
He knew he had to potentially marry someone to keep his bloodline going, but that was just out of necessity. From a young age, he had seen how couples behave. His mom and dad always fought.
But he had also seen his mother say how much— she loved his father. Were they just empty words, as both of them in the end got separated?
The word love didn't arouse any emotions in him at first and only reminded him of the torn relationship his family had.
Even with all the trauma he carried, he couldn't resist her. Everything about her was just so irresistible—her banter, her smile. Sometimes she acted so strong that even he felt surprised, but she too was vulnerable at times.
She was just beautiful.
In just one year, both of them decided that this was the person they would like to spend the rest of their lives with.
Soulmate—the word he thought was childish—she was the perfect description of that same word for him.
Life wasn't something that was monotonous to him now. Every day was full of dreams and happiness.
Their marriage was just around a week away. She expressed her desire that he would be the one to pick their wedding rings.
'Why didn't you wait for me at home!!'
'Why'
' I told you I was coming to pick you up at 4'
' I know you wanted to give me a surprise but...'
Her last text made it obvious she would be the one coming to meet him.
"Hehehe Don't go outside"
'I waited and waited but you never came, Anya.'
He didn't know what happened, but he was very worried as she wasn't even replying to his texts—something like that never happened.
When he finally decided to go to her, on his way, he found out there was an accident nearby. He couldn't see fully from the distance, but he could see the police and ambulance in the middle of the highway. It was enough for him to tell what happened.
But he didn't want to stop by, as he had to see why Anya didn't come to visit him. The possibility of her being in the accident didn't even enter his mind, knowing how cautious and rule-abiding she was.
Driving past the site, he abruptly hit the brakes.
'T-This'
It was Anya's car and some other black SUV. His heart sank seeing the contrast in damage between both cars. The damage to Anya's car was too much—one side of it was completely crushed.
He ran to the sight as he wanted to see if she was alright, but deep in his mind, seeing the damage, he knew the chances were very slim.
He denied every bit of logical thinking and ran toward the ambulance in hopes of seeing her breathing.
'Please be alive, Anya.'
'There are still so many promises you have to fulfill.'
The officer stopped him, but he anxiously explained one of the cars was his wife's car. The look of pity in the officer's eyes told him what he wanted to know.
He started to speak.
'No! I don't want to hear it.'
The officer told him the woman who was in the accident had died unfortunately. His world broke apart with that news. He wanted to see it himself—it had to be a lie.
He asked if he could see her, even when the officer warned him not to. Victor didn't care; he had to see his Anya for himself.
The officer just showed him her face at first. Seeing the scratches and cuts on her face, his heart ached. She was unusually pale. With his trembling hands, he touched her face, feeling the coldness of her once-warm body. Tears started to stream down his face—he didn't shout, just silent tears that endlessly fell.
He had already noticed the blood on the cloth she was covered in. He had to see it. He removed the cover completely without saying anything to the officer next to him, who wasn't able to stop him.
Even the officer turned his face away seeing the state the body was in, but Victor didn't move an inch and looked at her body. Multiple holes in her stomach—he could see her insides. He could even see how many bones were broken in her body. Her entire upper half was crushed.
'Anya didn't like pain. I remember she couldn't even handle light pain.'
He couldn't even imagine how she could have endured such a painful experience. Seeing the tear marks on her, he knew she must have cried so much.
"Anya is dead." With these words coming out of his mouth, Victor accepted the reality he didn't want to accept. His words contained his endless love for her and anger that she had to endure so much.
He wished he would have been with her so they could be together in their last moment.
'She must have wanted to see me. Were those tears not just from pain but due to her longing and cursed dreams and promises she knew she couldn't complete?'
Accepting her death, there was one thing in his mind.
'Why did she have to die? Why!!'
He had clearly noticed how little damage that other car had. He looked at the black car with intense eyes—eyes that were soulless.
"Officer, who was in the other car and where are they?" His words didn't show any of the emotions inside his heart. They were cold, monotonous words asking a question.
The officer refused to tell him anything about the person in the other car and what their identity was, saying it was their protocol. The only thing he told him was that the person was alive and getting basic treatment in the ambulance now and then would be held in custody for further investigation.
Victor glanced at the ambulance with lifeless eyes. Many things were playing in his mind. He knew that person was responsible for Anya's death because someone like her never sped while driving. He glanced at the gun holster at the officer's waist.
'Should I just...'
'No.'
Seeing how many other officers were on the site, he knew the chances of his success would be slim. He didn't know how to fight properly. He had good strength, but that doesn't mean he would stand a chance against trained officers.
"Alright."
Victor knew that person would have to show up in court. Then he would see who it was that had taken Anya away from him.
___
Two days had passed. Today was the funeral of Anya. Victor still felt shocked by how she had left him all alone. They had promised under the moonlight that they would be together forever. He couldn't even look into the eyes of Anya's mother, who was sobbing in front of him.
She had told him it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help but feel guilty that he wasn't there for her.
He only shed a few tears in his lifeless face which had no emotion at all. His eyes had lost all their color.
Tomorrow was the court date when he would be able to witness the one who had destroyed his life, and taken Anya away from him along with all the bright emotions he could felt before.
The world had lost its color to him, but there was still a purpose left for him: to bring justice for his Anya.